Despite all the excitement over digitisation in retail, data privacy plays a major role for many customers – although the extent varies.
The “Retail Without Limits” study, commissioned by Oracle, surveyed 5,000 adult consumers in Europe, America and Asia about their experiences and needs in modern e-commerce. The study showed that an average of 31% consider big data analysis of their habits as useful; responses range from an approval rating of 55% in India to only 12% in Germany. Although more than half of all respondents recognise the benefits of data analysis and personalisation, including discounts or loyalty bonuses, many are sceptical when it comes to disclosing personal data to their retailers. 55% of respondents have concerns or are completely against information about them being stored as part of the retail transaction. 23% see no problems with sharing personal shopping information.
The idea of a cross-channel shopping experience is most popular with the shoppers in China (78%; global average: 57%). China apparently also has the most problems with the product quality (67%; average: 54%). When customers were asked about their selection criteria, however, the majority mention price (55%) as a relevant feature. Price is also the main reason (67%) customers pounce on deals from foreign vendors; 56% of all respondents said they had already placed international orders, with peak values in Brazil (70%) and the most country loyalty shown in Japan (41%).
Study results can be downloaded as a PDF for free from Oracle after registration. (Source: Oracle/bs)